Why Businesses Can't Afford to Ignore This Question

When employees return to work after parental leave, they're not just coming back to their role. They're returning as new people, with a new identity, new priorities, and new emotional terrain to navigate.

One of the most common, yet often unspoken, questions that returning parents grapple with is this:

"Can I be the parent I want to be and have a meaningful, successful career?"

This question doesn’t reflect a lack of ambition. In fact, it reveals something far more valuable: self-reflection, strong values, and the desire to do meaningful work in both areas of life.

If organisations want to retain talent, boost engagement, and build inclusive workplaces where parents thrive, they must recognise this tension and respond strategically.

In this blog, we'll explore:

• Why this internal question matters to your business

• What happens when it goes unsupported

• The ROI of investing in support at this transition

• What practical steps line managers and HR can take

  
  

From Priority Shift to Identity Shift

Before becoming parents, many professionals build their identities around career success. Time, energy, ambition, all flow toward climbing the ladder and making an impact.

But after a child is born, a profound shift happens. The parent role often takes centre stage, not by choice but by necessity. Sleep deprivation, bonding, physical recovery, new routines, these are not small adjustments. They are transformational. And they rewire how people think about time, value, success, and self.

Yet workplaces often treat a returning employee as if nothing has changed.

That misalignment is costly.

It leads to:

• Quiet disengagement

• Unspoken guilt and internal pressure

• Reduced performance due to lack of psychological safety

• Talent loss when people decide the environment no longer fits their life

  
  

Instead of seeing returning parents as less committed, we need to understand them and support them correctly. 

The Business Case: Why This Tension Matters

When returning parents wrestle with the internal question of whether they can be the parent they want to be and succeed at work, your organisation is affected in tangible ways: 

1. Clarity Drives Productivity

Supported returners are better able to:

• Set healthy boundaries

• Prioritise high-impact work

• Communicate needs and limitations clearly

This leads to more focused, productive workdays and reduced presenteeism.

2. Engagement Increases When Values Align

When employees feel they don’t have to compromise their values to stay in their role, their emotional connection to their work strengthens. They want to contribute. They want to do well. 

3. Retention Saves Money

The cost of replacing an experienced employee can be as much as 6-9 months of their salary. Investing in their return and ensuring they feel supported costs far less.

And the benefits extend beyond one employee:

• Positive ripple effects in team morale

• Reputation boost as a parent-inclusive employer

• Reduced absenteeism and stress-related leave

Evidence That Matters

A 2018 Harvard Business Review article "How Our Careers Affect Our Children" found that what impacts children isn’t how many hours parents work, but how they feel about their work.

When employees feel torn, undervalued, or unsupported, those emotions don’t stay at the office door. They follow them home.

The reverse is also true: when employees feel empowered to pursue meaningful work and parent in alignment with their values, their confidence, mental health, and family wellbeing all improve. This is whole-person sustainability. And businesses benefit directly.

How HR and Line Managers Can Respond

You don’t need to be a coach or mental health expert to support returners well. But you do need to:

1. Understand the Transition

   Recognise that the return to work is a major identity shift, not just a logistical one.

   
   

2. Create Psychological Safety

   Encourage honest conversations about what someone needs to thrive, without fear of judgment.

   
   

3. Invest in Targeted Support

   Offer coaching or mentoring that focuses specifically on the return-to-work transition. 

   
   

4. Train Line Managers

   Equip managers with the skills to listen, respond empathetically, and support performance in a flexible, trust-based way.

   
   

5. Communicate Clearly and Proactively

   Have structured check-ins before, during, and after leave. Share policies early. Make the pathway back visible and supportive.

The Bottom Line

Supporting returning parents isn’t a soft benefit. It’s a strategic investment.

When you recognise and support the identity shift returners are going through, you unlock:

• Higher productivity

• Greater engagement

• Stronger retention

• A culture that attracts top talent

  
  

Most importantly, you send a clear message: You don’t have to choose between being the parent you want to be and the professional you aspire to be.

And that’s a message today’s working parents need to hear.

Explore What This Could Look Like in Your Organisation

If you'd like to find out how parental return-to-work coaching support could help your people thrive, I offer free 30-minute consultation calls.

👉 Book a call with me here

Or, download my free resource for line managers: The Essential Maternity Return Checklist.

Together, we can build workplaces where parents thrive, and stay.